Publication Items

Environmental Justice Beat Gets Boost From New Database [1]

The Biden administration, which has been making environmental justice a top goal, has released a new screening tool that complements existing environmental equity databases, but with especially strong attention to a range of categories like clean transit, clean water, housing issues, life expectancy and more (although, interestingly, not race). The latest Reporter’s Toolbox has a guide to the new screening tool.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Diversity [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
People & Population [9]
Planning & Growth [10]
Policy [11]
Pollution [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Environmental Justice Beat Gets Boost From New Database [1]
Houston Plays Host to First On-Site SEJ Conference Since 2019 [15]

Environmental journalists from around the country and beyond will gather in Houston later this month for the Society of Environmental Journalists’ 31st annual conference. Widely known as the energy capital of the world, this highly diverse city is an ideal place to drill down on the causes and consequences of climate change and other environmental issues of the day.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [17]
Air [18]
Biodiversity [19]
Chemicals [20]
Climate Change [21]
Disasters [22]
Diversity [3]
Economy & Business [23]
Energy & Fuel [24]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Fish & Fisheries [25]
Food [26]
Forests [27]
Government [28]
Health [7]
Infrastructure [29]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [30]
People & Population [9]
Planning & Growth [10]
Policy [11]
Pollution [12]
Religion, Faith and Spirituality [31]
Science [32]
Technology [33]
Transportation [34]
Waste [35]
Water & Oceans [36]
Wildlife [37]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [38]
International [39]
Mexico [40]
Central America & the Caribbean [41]
Europe [42]
South America [43]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Houston Plays Host to First On-Site SEJ Conference Since 2019 [15]
EPA TSCA Database Back on the Street [44]

A key federal database on toxic chemicals, kneecapped under the Trump administration, is now back. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week resurfaced the ChemView service, and explains the background law that fuels its data, while offering tips on how to make smart use of the database as it expands in coming years.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [20]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [28]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [30]
Pollution [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about EPA TSCA Database Back on the Street [44]
The Year Ahead Will Spark Abundant Environment News — Both Good and Bad [45]

Even as the climate crisis countdown story continues, a wide range of environment and energy issues are on journalists’ watchlist for the year ahead, per an analysis from our “2022 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment [46].” The overview looks at 13 key trends to track in 2022 and beyond — including infrastructure, pandemics, environmental justice, energy, chemicals, plastics and, of course, climate.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [47]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [20]
Climate Change [21]
Disasters [22]
Energy & Fuel [24]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [28]
Health [7]
Infrastructure [29]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [30]
Policy [11]
Pollution [12]
Transportation [34]
Waste [35]
Water & Oceans [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
International [39]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about The Year Ahead Will Spark Abundant Environment News — Both Good and Bad [45]
Deep in the Heart of Complexity … Or, the View From Texas [48]

As the Society of Environmental Journalists prepares for its annual conference in Houston this March, the SEJournal asked Texas-based reporter Greg Harman to explore the Lone Star State's most critical stories for 2022. Here, in this special Texas-focused TipSheet, are leads, resources, encouragements and challenges.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [49]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [17]
Air [18]
Chemicals [20]
Climate Change [21]
Disasters [22]
Economy & Business [23]
Energy & Fuel [24]
Environmental Justice [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [28]
Health [7]
Infrastructure [29]
Journalism & Media [8]
People & Population [9]
Planning & Growth [10]
Policy [11]
Pollution [12]
Wildlife [37]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [38]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Deep in the Heart of Complexity … Or, the View From Texas [48]
Infrastructure Funding Coming Soon for Cleanup of Orphan Oil Wells [50]

With billions of infrastructure dollars now on the table to clean up orphan oil wells, states are already elbowing their way in for a taste. But as our new Backgrounder explains, the process to ensure they cannot pollute the environment or spew climate-change gasses is a complex one. And the sheer (and largely unknown) number of orphaned wells adds to the complications.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [51]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [21]
Energy & Fuel [24]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [28]
Health [7]
Infrastructure [29]
Journalism & Media [8]
People & Population [9]
Pollution [12]
Water & Oceans [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Infrastructure Funding Coming Soon for Cleanup of Orphan Oil Wells [50]
Reporters Reveal ‘Decades of Deceit’ Over Underground Water Contamination [52]

A trove of confidential documents about a well-known groundwater pollution problem helped journalists Paul LaRocco and David M. Schwartz uncover how much had actually been hidden about the contamination’s severity and how it could have been kept from worsening. In the latest Inside Story Q&A, LaRocco and Schwartz share the story behind their award-winning investigation.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [53]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [20]
Disasters [22]
Economy & Business [23]
Environmental Health [4]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Military [54]
Pollution [12]
Water & Oceans [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [55]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Reporters Reveal ‘Decades of Deceit’ Over Underground Water Contamination [52]
Lead Pipes To Make News on the Environment Beat in 2022 [56]

A crisis of lead in drinking water affects thousands of U.S. communities, but 2022 will bring new focus to the problem as new Biden administration plans play out following passage of a $15 billion fund to replace lead service lines. TipSheet outlines the problem and the impact of a regulation carried over from the Trump era. Plus, seven reporting approaches to local and state-level stories.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [49]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [57]
Environmental Justice [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Environmental Studies [58]
Government [28]
Health [7]
Infrastructure [29]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [30]
Policy [11]
Pollution [12]
Water & Oceans [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Lead Pipes To Make News on the Environment Beat in 2022 [56]
When Reporting on Toxic Hotspots, Go Deeper With Cancer Registries [59]

As awareness grows about how pollution can cause certain cancers, it’s smart to look beyond cancer risk and also explore available information about actual cancer cases. Reporter’s Toolbox explains how extensive data collected regularly in state-level cancer “registries” can take your coverage on the pollution-public health connection to another level. Plus, avoiding pitfalls in reporting possible clusters.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [18]
Chemicals [20]
Disasters [22]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Environmental Studies [58]
Government [28]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
People & Population [9]
Pollution [12]
Science [32]
Waste [35]
Water & Oceans [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [55]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [60]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about When Reporting on Toxic Hotspots, Go Deeper With Cancer Registries [59]
Biden Administration To Struggle With Environmental Justice in 2022 [61]

The history of environmental racism is a long one in the United States, far longer than the efforts to address the problem. But reporting on environmental justice continues to tick upwards, and an analysis in the latest Backgrounder points to promising progress, explaining why for journalists the year ahead may yield important stories, whether about future footholds or new missteps.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [51]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [17]
Air [18]
Climate Change [21]
Diversity [3]
Environmental Justice [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [28]
Health [7]
Infrastructure [29]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [30]
People & Population [9]
Planning & Growth [10]
Policy [11]
Pollution [12]
Waste [35]
Water & Oceans [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [62]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [63]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [64]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [55]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [60]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [38]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Biden Administration To Struggle With Environmental Justice in 2022 [61]

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